COVID-19 and the decline in Asian American employment

Abstract

The unemployment rate has sharply increased as a result of the lockdown associated with the spread of COVID-19. The negative effect of the lockdown is more conspicuous among the less-educated workers than the highly-educated workers. Because Asian Americans are more likely to have a bachelor or higher degree than any other racial group, they are expected to be relatively immune to the drop in employment unless the detrimental impact of the lockdown is severer for Asian Americans. Exploiting the panel aspect of the Current Population Survey – Merged Outgoing Rotation Group, we examine the changes in At-work status before and after the lockdown and between the lockdown and months of the reopening. The empirical results uncover that Asian Americans are more negatively affected by the lockdown than any other racial group, net of education, immigration status, and other covariates. Surprisingly, the negative impact of the lockdown is entirely concentrated on less-educated Asian Americans. Regardless of gender, less-educated Asian Americans are substantially more likely to lose employment than equally educated Whites and are not more likely to regain employment during the reopening months. Other less-educated racial minorities do not experience more reduction in At-work status than Whites, net of covariates. Highly-educated Asian Americans’ employment is equally affected by the lockdown with equally educated Whites.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Romanian Labor Market

“…Surveys provided further evidence of declining employment and indicated a 20 million drop in the number of employed workers. The same studies showed that, surprisingly, there was a much less proportional increase in unemployment, which could indicate that most of these new unemployed workers are not looking for a new job [19,20]. However, the wave of early retirements they have documented suggested that permanent changes may already be taking place [21].…”

Centering Ethnic Studies in Health Education: Lessons From Teaching an Asian American Community Health Course

“…During COVID-19, similar stereotypes fail to acknowledge that Asian Americans experienced economic vulnerabilities irrespective of education status (A. T. Kim et al, 2021), potentially exacerbating health outcomes.…”

“…During COVID-19, similar stereotypes fail to acknowledge that Asian Americans experienced economic vulnerabilities irrespective of education status (A. T. Kim et al, 2021), potentially exacerbating health outcomes. Asian Americans in service industries, hospitality, and leisure were particularly hit by the pandemic, experiencing an unemployment rate of 40% (Mar & Ong, 2020).…”

Prevalence of Depression Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Two Asian American Ethnic Groups

“…Asian Americans are also experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace due to COVID-19 [ 14 , 15 ]. A recent study suggests that less-educated Asian Americans (men and women) were substantially more likely to lose employment than equally educated whites during the COVID-19 lockdown, and less likely to regain employment during the reopening months [ 15 ].…”

“…Asian Americans are also experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace due to COVID-19 [ 14 , 15 ]. A recent study suggests that less-educated Asian Americans (men and women) were substantially more likely to lose employment than equally educated whites during the COVID-19 lockdown, and less likely to regain employment during the reopening months [ 15 ]. Perceived racial discrimination and other COVID-19 related stressors (e.g., losing a job, losing someone close to you from COVID-19, and having financial problems) are associated with increased burden of mental health illness, particularly among members of disadvantaged groups [ 1 – 3 ].…”